Twin lamp socket



june 22 11926. L59fl16 C. E. GODLIEY TWIN LAMP SOCKET Filed Feb. 4. 1924 Jaye/275;

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Patented June 22, 1926.

STATES 612158 E. GODLEY, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR T0 EDMUNDS & JONES COR- PATENT orr cr EORATION, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION-0F NEW YORK.

'rwm ,namr sookn'r.

Application filed February 4, 1924. Serial No. 890,840.

My invention relates to plural lamp sockets and in one of its broad aspects aims to provide a simple, inexpensive easily assembled and highly effectiveplural lamp socket. Furthermore, my invention aims to provide a socket for this purpose which can readily be employed in connection with separately controlled circuits having a common return for supplyin current to a plurality of lampsassociated respectively with theesaid circuits, and withia single detachable wire-terminal plug.

In a more particular aspect,, my invention relates to a: multiple lamp socket adapted for use with'lamps provided with metal casin s grounded to one lamp terminal. For t is purpose, my invention provides a simple socket construction employing the metal shell of the socket as the common return for the circuits from the lamps, and including a simple assembly and mounting for contacts respectively engaging the other terminals of the lamps. Furthermore, my invention provides a socket constructlon for this purpose in which the shell is composed of slmple stampmgs, 1n whlch the stampings comprising the shell aresecured to each other by the same "fastening member which holds the contact-carrying insulating parts securely in the shell, in which the contacts are firmly held in position by the insulating'parts without requiring auxiliary fastening elements and in parts can readily be positions with respect to one another.

lln lamps employed for signaling, aster example in vehicle lamps serving both as tail lamps and for stop signal indications, it is customary to dispose each oi? the signal lights in a separate compartment of a single casing and it is desirable to have the current supplied to the group of lamps from asingle wire-carrying-plug which can readily from the .body of the signal .appllance. Signal lamps for such two-foldbe detached purposes are shown. for example in U S. Patent No. 1,475,296, issued tome on No vember 27, 1923; also in my copending application No. 638,660,1fil6dl May 12,1923, on? whic-h'latter application my present application is in part a division. This patent disclosesea signal'lamp in which each of the lamp bulbs has one end of itsfil ament to each other.

grounded to-the lamp casing while the other slde of the circuit is carried to the axial lamp terminals by spring fingers mounted on a detachable wire terminal plug. While this arrangement is highly efiective when the plug is attached, it has the disadvantage that it leaves the lamps loose when the plug is detached, so that they'may be subject to a damaging amount of jarring and the lower of the lamps might even be jarred out of the socket and broken by its fall. Furthermore, the construction shown in my said patent necessitates the mounting within the lamp body of two separate socket shells, namely one for the two lamp bulbs and another for the terminal plug, which complicates the manufacture when applied to many designs of lamp assemblies.

My present invention aims to overcome the above mentioned objections by providmg a multiple lamp socket in which the till lid

lamp-engaging spring contact fingers are continuously retained in the socket and in which current is conveyed to them by a standard type of a detachable wire terminal plug. lit also provides a construction for this purpose which can be mounted in the lamp body in its entirety as a unit, and one in which the shell consists or" two simple and counterpart metal stampings. Furthermore, it provides a multiple. socket assembly which the spring contact members are clamped against an interposed core or insulating body by a tube which insulates these contact members from the metal shell; in which the insulating core and the contact members have cooperatingformations which prevent a relative shifting of; the same when thus clamped; and in which all parts of this socket are firmly held in their proper relative positions by the single fastening member which secures the two parts of the shell Still further and also more detailed objects will appear from the following specification and from the accompanyung drawings, in which drawingsig. l is an elevation of a twin lamp-sockdirections.

I Fig. 2 is an enlarged central vertical and longitudinal section through the same;

Fig. 3 is similarly enlarged section 'lOO l ig. is an enlarged perspective view of the body assembly which consists of the insulating core, the pair-of contact members and the insulating tube which clamps these contact members to the core.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the insulatingcore.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the contact members.

Fig. 8 is a section similar to Fig. 3 but showing a socket arranged for holding two lamps at an angle to each other and oblique to the wire-terminal plug used for conveying current to them.

in the embodiment of Figs; 1 to 7 inclusive, the socket of my invention has a substantially 'T-shaped shell composed of two cylinders adjoined so that one extends at an angle to the other and is connected substantially to the middle of the said other cylindrical portion. The first named cylinder portion 1 which forms the stem of the 'l" formation is provided at its free end with bayonet slots 2 for interlocking with the usual lateral projections 28 upon the shell 3 of a wire terminal plug which has spring -pressed plungers 4 and 5 projecting from its inwardly directed end and respectively connected to the two separately controlled circuit wires 29 and 30. The other cylindrical portion 6 which forms the head or crossbar of the T-formation has its ends equipped respectively with bayonet slots 7 and 8 for interlocking respectively with the usual lateral projections on the two incandescent lamps 9 and 10 which are to be employed for distinct signal indications.

Mounted in the shank portion 1 of the shell is a body member comprising an insulating core 11 and having a pair of resilient contact members clamped to the same by an 1nsulat1ng tube 13 which fits slidably into the shank 1 of the shell.' The insulating core 11 has a pair-of oppositely disposed lateral recess formations or.channels extendlng longitudinally thereof for receiving the shank portions 14: and 15 oil the two contact members respectively, each such recess having lateral shoulder forniatibns 16 engaging o posite edges of the contact member whic is seated i'n'that recess so as to prevent lateral movement of this contact member. The rear end of each contact member is bent over the rear end of the insulating body radially inward ofthe latter so as to ailord a contact tip adapted to be engaged by one of the spring pressed plungers of the wire terminal plug 3. These contact tips 17 and- 18 also prevent the contact members from sliding forwardly of the insulating body or towards the head of the T-shaped shank, while a rearward sliding is prevented by a finger 19 on each of the contact members, which finger engages a forwardly directed shoulder 20 on the insulating body. To afford such a shoulder, each of the lateral recesses or channels in the insulating body is deepened beginning at a point spaced from its rear end as shown in Figs. 2 and 6, and this deepening is preferably increased towards the forward end oil the insulating body so as to permit the portion of the contact members which extend forwardly of the said shoulders 20 to be flexed inwardly. These forwardly extended portions are continued so as to afiord contact fingers 21 and 22 extending into the head 6 of the T-shaped shell and into contact respectively with the axial terminals of the two lamp bulbs, such as the lamp terminals 23 and 2a of Fig. 3.

By suitably proportioning the parts, I can readily cause the insulating tube 13 to clamp the two resilient contact members tightly against the insulating core, so that the said body member can initially be assembled to form the unit as shown in Fig. 5., Then the two halves of the shell are slipped over this unit and are connected to it by a single fastening member, such as a rivet 25 extending through alined bores in the two shell halves, the insulating tube 1 and the insulating body 11. To adapt the spring contact fingers 21 and 22 more readily to possible variations in the length of the lamp bases l desirably form .a lamp-terminal-engaging boss 27 on each of the same.

When the parts are thus assembled, the channeled insulating core 11 and the insulating tube 13 cooperate in afiording insulating means afiording a pair of longitudinal passages through which the conducting elements respectively extend, each such passage having a rearward portion formed for engaging the corresponding part of one conducting element to prevent transverse movement of the latter and also having a forward portion formed to permit a flexing of the conducting element radially inward or outward of the shank of the shell which houses the said insulating means. I

However, ll do not wish to be limited to this or other details of-the construction and arrangement here disclosed, it being obvious that the same might be modified in many ways without departing from'the spirit of my invention or from the appended claims.

Neither do I wish to be limited to a shapfor holding the two lamp bulbs substantially at right angles to each other and oblique to the axis of the Wire-terminal plug, the spring contact fingers 30 and 31 being suitably bent so as to present contact portions which are bowed respectively across the axes of the lamp-holding tubular shell portions 32 and 33.

I claim as my invention 1. A'socket for two incandescent lamps, comprising a T-shaped shell having each end of its head portion provided with formations for interlocking with one lamp, and a body member mounted in the shank of the T- shaped shell; the body member comprising an insulating core, a pair of conducting elements disposed at opposite sides of the core andcach having a resilient contact portion disposed for engaging one of the lamps, and an insulating tube housing the core and clamping the conducting elements to the core.

2. A socket for two incandescent lamps, comprising a T-shaped shell having each end of its head portion provided with formations for'interlocking with one lamp, and a body member mounted in the shank of the T-shaped shell; the body member comprising an insulating core havin i a pair of oppositely disposed lateral recesses, a air'of conducting elements each having a s ank seated in one of the recesses and each having a resilient contact ortion extending into the head portion of t e T-shaped shell for engaging one of the lamps, and an insulating tube clamping the shanks of the conducting elements to the core.

3. A socket for two incandescent lamps, comprising a T-shaped shell having each end of its head portion provided with formations for interlocking with one lamp, anda body member mounted in the shank of the T- shaped shell; the body member comprising an insulating core having a pair of oppositely disposed lateral recesses, a pair of conducting elements each having a shank seated in one of the recesses and each having a resilient contact portion extending into the head'portion of the T-shaped shell for engaging one of the lamps, and an'insulating tube clamping the shanks of the conducting elements to the core, the core and the shanks of the conducting elements having relatively interengaging formations for preventing the said shanks from moving either longitudinally or circumferentially of the core.

4. A socket for two incandescent lamps,

I comprising a T-shaped shell having each end of its head portion provided with formations for interlocking with one lamp, and a body member mounted in the shank of the T- shaped hell; the body member comprising an insu ating core having a pair of oppositely disposed lateral recesses, a pair of conductors each having a shank seated in one of the recesses and each having a resilient contact portion extending into the head portion of the T-shaped shell for engaging one of the lamps, and an insulating, tube clamping the shanks of the conducting elements to the core; each of the conducting elements having the end nearest to the footof the T-sha ed shell bent inwardly of the shell to afford a contact tip.

5. A socket for two incandescent lamps, comprising a T-shaped shell having each end of its head portion provided with formations for interlocking with one lamp, and a body member mounted in the shank of the T shaped shell; the body member comprising an insulating core having a pair of oppositely disposed lateral recesses, a pair of conductors each having a shank seated in one of the recesses and each having a resilient contact portion extending into the head portion of the T-shaped shell for engaging one of the lamps, and an insulating tube clamping the shanks of the conducting elements to the core; each of the conducting elements having the end nearest to the foot of the T-shaped shell bent inwardly of the shell to afford a contact tip and to prevent the said conducting element from sliding toward the head of the shell, and having another portion formed for engaging a part of the insulating core to prevent the said element from sliding away from the said head.

6. A socket as per claim 2, in which the core has oppositely directed shoulder formations respectively facing towards and. away from the head of the shell, and in whic each conducting element has a pair of portionsrespectively engaging such oppositely directed shoulder formations to prevent the,

conducting element from moving either toward or away from the head of the shell.

i7. A socketfor two incandescent lamps, comprising a substantially T-shaped shell having each end of-its head provided with formations for interlocking with one lamp, and a body member mounted in the shell;

the body member comprising an insulating core disposed within the stem of the T- shaped shell and provided with a pair of oppositely disposed longitudinal channels, a pair ofconductin elements extending respectively through the two channels and each having one end extending into the head of the shell for contacting with one of the lamps, and means for fastening the insulating core to portions of the conductin elements adjacent to the other ends 0 the latter; the channels being deepened adjacent to the'head of the shell to permit the lampcontacting portions of the conducting ele-' ments to be flexed towards each other.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, January 31, 1924. 

